Top Schools

Bidwell Training Center Inc, which was ranked 62nd nationwide in 2010, is the top-ranked school in Pennsylvania that has a pharmacy technician program. It is located in Pittsburgh.
In 2010, Bidwell Training Center Inc graduated 16 students from its pharmacy technician program.

The second-ranked school in Pennsylvania that has a pharmacy technician program is Pennco Tech. Pennco Tech, which was ranked 62nd in the country in 2010, is located in Bristol.
In 2010, Pennco Tech graduated 6 students from its pharmacy technician program.

Penn Commercial Business/Technical School, which is located in Washington, is the third-ranked school in Pennsylvania that has a pharmacy technician program. It received a ranking of 63rd in the country in 2010.
Students at Penn Commercial Business/Technical School paid $20,600 per year in tuition fees.

Cost

If you choose to attend a Pennsylvania pharmacy technician school, average tuition will be $5,318 per year. However, tuition at your particular institution may range from $2,720 per year to $20,600 per year.
The highest tuition rates in 2010 at Pennsylvania pharmacy technician schools were charged at the following schools:

Penn Commercial Business/Technical School - located in Washington, students are charged $20,600 per year

Sanford-Brown Institute - located in Pittsburgh, students are charged $20,533 per year

Everest Institute-Pittsburgh - located in Pittsburgh, students are charged $13,826 per year

The following Pennsylvania pharmacy technician schools had the lowest tuition rates:

Community College of Allegheny County - located in Pittsburgh, students are charged $2,720 per year

Community College of Beaver County - located in Monaca, students are charged $2,796 per year

Pennsylvania Highlands Community College - located in Johnstown, students are charged $3,445 per year

A pharmacy technician certificate from a Pennsylvania school... what next?

Most people who graduate from pharmacy technician school in Pennsylvania go on to work as a pharmacy technician.
In 2010, there were 14,320 pharmacy technicians working in Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania counties with the largest populations of pharmacy technicians are:

Bucks County - 4,990 pharmacy technicians

Allegheny County - 3,100 pharmacy technicians

Warren County - 830 pharmacy technicians

Projected Growth

The government projects that by 2018, the number of pharmacy technicians in the state of Pennsylvania will grow to 19,500. This would require a 29% growth in the profession.

Salary

On average, a pharmacy technician earns a salary of $27,470 per year in Pennsylvania state.
However, Pennsylvania pharmacy technicians earned anywhere in the range from as less than $16,220 per year to more than $45,980 per year in 2010.
The counties in Pennsylvania with the highest average salary for a pharmacy technician are:

Lebanon County - $32,920 per year

Cumberland County - $29,860 per year

Bucks County - $29,080 per year

The Pennsylvania counties with the lowest average salary for pharmacy technicians are:

Bradford County - $21,980 per year

Lycoming County - $22,720 per year

Clarion County - $23,280 per year

More Information

For more data regarding a career in pharmacy technician training in Pennsylvania and to compare salaries with various related fields such as health science or physician assisting, take a look at the graphs and charts below.